1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for a plurality of processes to perform coordinated operations by exchanging data with each other, and more particularly to a technique for restricting processes associated in a shared system.
2. Related Background Art
As an example of a technique in which a plurality of processes perform coordinated operations by exchanging data with each other, there is a database sharing method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-348726 (information processing method and device). According to the application disclosed in the publication, each process holds a copy of the shared data. If there is an operation request with respect to the shared data, request information about the operation request is exchanged among the processes over a network, and the data is updated based on the received operation request.
In the above-mentioned invention, no restrictions have been made on processes associated in the process group sharing the data. However, a case is conceivable in which processes have to be limited based on some condition, such as a limit on the total number of processes. Thus, there have left room for improvement.